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Summary List of stories Phase I Day: Honor, Duty, And Family << chapter 25 Chapter 26 of 75 What It Means To Be Family chapter 27 >> << previous scene Scene 1 of 2 next scene >> Location Participants Time Summary Prologue | Phase I | Phase II | Epilogue 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 | 25 | 26 | 27 | 28 | 29 | 30 31 | 32 | 33 | 34 | 35 | 36 | 37 | 38 | 39 | 40 | 41 | 42 | 43 | 44 | 45 46 | 47 | 48 | 49 | 50 | 51 | 52 | 53 | 54 | 55 | 56 | 57 | 58 | 59 | 60 61 | 62 | 63 | 64 | 65 | 66 | 67 | 68 | 69 | 70 | 71 | 72 | 73 | 74 | 75 Text A week after the mass attack, Celestia had almost fully recovered. One of her wings still ached and she still bore a few bruises, but that was all, and it was easy enough for the winged unicorn to ignore. It helped that she had so much to focus on: not just the duties of the barony and Equestria, but also research work for Odin on the gnarled and alien Ambrosia tree in Luna and Scrivener's backyard, as well as putting together an analysis of Clockwork World with Scrivener Blooms. The last was something she took a strange, almost shameful enjoyment in, although Scrivy and Luna both understood the fascination far too well: it was a remarkable and, in a way, a beautiful challenge. Scrivener had trouble dredging up Visionary's memories at first, until eventually Celestia had suggested hypnosis, of all things. Scrivener had acted cynical and sarcastic, and Luna had promptly tattled that hypnosis scared him, which meant he'd spent a good hour or so being soothed and goaded until he finally grudgingly agreed to allow someone to hypnotize him. All eyes had turned to Discombobulation, who had been calmly playing with Antares in the corner, and the Draconequus had grumbled a bit, then said sourly: "I don't like putting ponies in trances. That was Discord's thing, not mine." With some prodding, eventually Discombobulation had grouchily agreed to hypnotize Scrivener, who was staring awkwardly around as Luna had soothed him gently, nervous herself but oddly less worried about the process than Scrivener was. Because of their soul link, they would both have to be hypnotized at once... otherwise, their linked minds tended to override the trance state through instinct and natural defense. A problem arose that they hadn't suspected, however, after Discombobulation put them both into a trance and handed the controls moodily over to Celestia, the Draconequus storming away and rubbing sulkily at his eyes. While Scrivener grew very quiet and answered questions calmly, now able to better dredge up details and memories even as shivers gave away pain and fear here and there, Luna had simply sat silently with her head bowed and eyes closed before she had smiled slowly, her features changing subtly, and her eyes the glowing eldritch of Nightmare Moon as reptilian pupils stared slowly around at them all. Antares had whimpered a little, but Nightmare Moon hadn't even spoken, only surveyed them like a hungry predator. With Luna in the trance, she was able to rise to the surface... although Nightmare Moon herself was under the same hypnosis, vulnerable to suggestion, but Discombobulation refused to tempt fate by poking at all at the manifestation of passion. Once Celestia had gotten everything she needed from Scrivener – a surprising amount of detailed information culled from the often-painful memories of Visionary – Discombobulation had gladly and eagerly returned them to normal. But then the true difficulties had started when Nightmare Moon had refused to give up control back to Luna. Now here they were: days after the hypnosis experiment, and Nightmare Moon sat in all her glory, black-coat gleaming, a smile on her vainly-beautiful features as she sat in front of the fireplace in their cottage. Scarlet Sage was in town, Discombobulation was hiding somewhere, and Scrivener was reading softly to Antares. The babe clung tight to Gymbr, using the doll like a shield between himself and Nightmare Moon, who he kept tossing worried looks at... but Nightmare Moon only smiled in return, her eyes gleaming before she said softly: "I am the boy's true mother, you know." Scrivener stuttered in his reading, but forced himself to continue to the end of the page as Antares whimpered and fidgeted a bit. Nightmare Moon studied them, listened to Scrivener's voice, and then she slowly turned around: enormous, imposing, the black pearl glinting as it swayed slowly on her necklace. Almost-cruel entertainment gleamed in her eyes, easily able to maintain this shape and form, and Scrivener couldn't feel, couldn't sense Luna at all as Nightmare Moon leaned in and whispered into his ear: "I am your true soulmate, Scrivener Blooms." She licked slowly around the rim of his ear, and Scrivener shivered as he stopped reading before looking down at Antares, who curled himself into a small ball back against his father, whimpering a little. Nightmare Moon only looked lovingly down at the foal, however, before she grimaced a little as Gymbr's button eyes seemed to gleam. A moment later, she snorted and turned away suddenly, saying softly: "Isn't it time for our growing colt's nap? Perhaps that is why he is so cranky." "Perhaps." Scrivener muttered, and then he rubbed a hoof soothingly along the foal's back, asking quietly: "Would you like to go down for a little sleep, Antares? A quiet nap with Gymbr?" Antares whimpered but nodded a little, and Scrivener nodded slowly back before he stood up and carefully slipped to the side. Antares scampered to his hooves, hurrying down the hall as Scrivener strode behind him, keeping himself between complacently-smiling Nightmare Moon and the foal as the starry-maned winged unicorn said in a voice made all the more dangerous by how tender it was: "Mommy loves you." Antares scrambled into his room, and Scrivener softened as he reached down, gently picking up the foal and sighing a little as he checked his diaper, then carefully put him into his crib. Immediately, the toddler burrowed into his blankets, shivering a little, and Scrivener sighed as he reached down to pick up Gymbr, holding the doll up and saying quietly: "I don't know who or what you are, but... keep taking care of him. Luna and I... both appreciate it." And as Scrivener carefully put the toy into Antares' crib, he thought he felt... sadness. Pain, emanating from the toy, as he studied it with a frown... before shaking his head and sighing as he realized he could just be sensing his son's emotions as well. He looked quietly down at the colt, then closed his eyes and bowed his head forwards, saying softly: "I'm sorry." "I miss Mommy." Antares whispered from beneath the blankets, and Scrivener's heart thudded in his chest, something catching in his throat as he looked silently down at his son. His first real sentence, and because of Nightmare Moon's tampering... The stallion gritted his teeth before he swallowed slowly, then reached down and squeezed his son's shoulder before turning and heading out of the room. He silently closed the door completely, then took a long breath before turning down the corridor and striding towards Nightmare Moon... then shoving past her and heading through the kitchen for the back door as he said sharply: "Outside. Now." "Oh my." Nightmare Moon licked her sharp teeth, her eyes gleaming brightly at this as she followed him almost eagerly. She grinned widely at the stallion's back, studying him as she paced expectantly behind him, looking strangely excited as he sat in front of the pond facing the Ambrosia tree as he tried to rein in his emotions. "Yes, husband? Beloved husband?" Scrivener slowly took a breath, then looked over his shoulder at her, saying quietly: "I want Luna back, and I want her back now." "Oh, how I wish I could accommodate that, my sweet... but Luna isn't here right now, simply-put." Nightmare Moon replied kindly, leaning towards him as her eyes all-but-glowed, the expression on her face half-compassionate, half-coy. "It seems she's gotten lost... lost in the deep place, where I was locked away by her vicious betrayal after Twilight and her friends used the Elements of Harmony on me. It took me several years to claw my way out of that abyss... how long do you think it will take Luna to escape from that cage?" "I said, bring her back, now!" Scrivener snapped, rounding on the enormous, dark-coated winged unicorn as he leaned towards her, glaring furiously... and although fear twisted through his chest, it wasn't fear for himself, or of this thing in front of him. It was fear for Luna: Luna, who he'd barely heard the mental shouts of over these last three days, who he had caught only wispy traces of here and there, who whether he was in sleep, or darkness, or meditation, he hadn't been to track down and find... and instead, he felt his link connecting more and more into the darkness of Nightmare Moon. He felt her trying to abuse their link, feeding her emotions and thoughts into him, trying to influence him, as he leaned forwards and shouted: "Bring her back, dammit! I am not afraid of-" "Not afraid of me? No. You have no reason to be, you never, ever, ever have to be afraid of me, Scrivener Blooms. I love you. I adore you. I would die for you... I would kill for you." Nightmare Moon replied affectionately, as if unfettered by his anger... and if anything, she seemed to be feeding off his emotions, seemed to be growing more and more excited as she paced back and forth in front of him slowly. "You suspect I seek to control you, but I do not. I desire your control over me. I desire to be yours. I desire to be chosen by you, and to earn my love. Equality? There is no such thing as equality in any relationship, that is an unforgivable lie. Those who cannot accept that one must rule, and one must bow their head, are weak and pathetic. Are doomed to live out failure after failure..." "Luna and I are equals." Scrivener said quietly and firmly, narrowing his eyes at Nightmare Moon, but she only licked her lips in response and laughed. "Although I am with you on one thing. You and I are not equals. You're... scum. You're a thief. You're a liar." "Yes, I am. I am. Tell me what else I am." Nightmare Moon whispered, flushing slightly as she stepped suddenly forwards, and Scrivener cursed under his breath as she tried to kiss him, shoving her backwards as her eyes glowed and she grinned wider, her teeth glinting like blades. "You revile me. You hate me. But beneath that boils both lust and love. You're aroused right now and you don't want to be: you enjoy the power you have over me. Oh, but we can psychoanalyze each other all day, but the foreplay is only so fun for so long... so allow me to escalate the situation." Nightmare Moon shook herself out, then straightened and looked down at Scrivener Blooms arrogantly, her eyes glowing with her dark love. "I am everything you want. Passion, power, a guardian, a lover, a mother. And all under your control, and even more, glad to be: glad to let myself be a victim of your torture engines, your own machinations and dark designs... why? It seems to make no sense, that I, powerful enough that if I desired, I could break even Celestia... no, not kill. I would never kill my sister." She smiled coldly, licking her lips slowly. "I am not that kind." Scrivener shivered, staring silently up at this dark engine of malice and emotion before Nightmare Moon continued softly: "But oh, we remember well... what it was like to be out of control. To give in to every urge, to try and force the ponies – stupidly – to adore us. To fight Celestia and lose, not because we were weaker than her, because we were... immeasurably idiotic. Because insanity and hunger made us... broken, gave us flaws that the enemy was easily able to take advantage of. "But you... control us. When we look at you, even in the deepest haze, our spirit lifts." Nightmare Moon smiled lovingly at him, slowly pacing to the side of the stallion, slinking in closer as she whispered: "Special, beloved Scrivener Blooms. Your flaws and our flaws... together, we perfect each other. You give us focus, and reason, and love. Do not lie, you love me. You love both me and Luna, you love us, not just one or the other. "Bowing to you makes us safe. Letting you hurt us gives us pleasure. Empowering you makes us strong." Nightmare Moon leaned in, and Scrivener closed his eyes with a shudder when she nipped the side of his neck, then licked slowly up to his ear, whispering into it: "Tell me to be your wife, and I will be your wife, faithful and humble. Ask me to be your sister, and I shall be your sister, gentle and compassionate. Whisper to me to be your mother, and I shall be your mother, the cradle of love and comfort. Order me to be your slave, and I shall perform your every task without hesitation. But in truth... I desire most to be your victim..." "You're just trying to make me as warped and corrupted as you are, and it won't work." Scrivener whispered, clenching his eyes shut for a moment as he shivered, and Nightmare Moon gave a sultry smile as she leaned slowly back and shrugged calmly in response when he glared at her. "Then I order you to let Luna go." "You have to mean it, Scrivener Blooms. You have to truly desire her free... and first, you have to truly want me as your slave." Nightmare Moon reached up, kindly stroking beneath his muzzle as she asked lovingly: "Right now you desire a friend and a mother, isn't that right? Would you like me to cradle you close, and whisper a lullaby to you? Would you like me to kiss you goodnight, and snuggle you to sleep? Would you like to tell me all the secrets you keep from little Luna Lightblade?" "I have no secrets from her." Scrivener said quietly, his eyes narrowing. "You''re the one that I keep secrets from." Nightmare Moon only laughed at this, saying affectionately: "Getting closer, but no. No. You cannot hurt me, Scrivener Blooms... not with such weak poison. Try hitting me. Or better yet, reach inside yourself... stretch down into the rivers of blood and corruption inside you, and dredge up the toys you so desire to use upon my head, my heart, my soul..." Scrivener began to breathe harder, trembling furiously as he whispered: "Give Luna back. Bring her back, right now. Get away, Nightmare Moon, you... you aren't welcome here..." But the black-coated equine only licked her lips, grinning wider as she shot eagerly back: "Closer. Better, but not good enough, no. Try harder. You can do it, Scrivener Blooms, you can hurt me if you dig inside yourself. Do you feel my heartbeat, my pulse, my excitement? I feel yours. And I feel that darkness in your mind, writhing; corruption? I think not. I think it was purification. I think you're more handsome now than you've ever been... come, stretch just a little further..." "S-Shut up!" Scrivener shouted, grabbing at his head with a snarl, shivering as he felt something twist savagely inside of him before he looked up, tears in his eyes as he snapped: "Luna Brynhild! I love you, come on, force your way to the surface, push out of that cage, this monster has been here for three days and I can't take any more!" "Yes you can. You've liked my company, beneath everything. I offer gifts, and strength. You find me erotic, and alluring, and you love the way I treat you..." Nightmare Moon leaned forwards, her eyes glowing as she said softly: "A little further. A little deeper. Or are you nothing but the weak, pathetic slave hoof your father always said you were?" Scrivener's eyes widened, and then he snarled in fury and lashed a hoof out, smacking her across the face before he could stop himself, Nightmare Moon flinching... then grinning wide as her eyes glowed, her mane writhing behind her with her excitement as a bit of drool fell from her jaws, whispering: "Yes. You don't need much of a push, do you?" Scrivener breathed hard, staring at her as Nightmare Moon's grin toned down to a calm smile, and then she sat back and closed her eyes as she said kindly: "I will not allow Luna the pleasure of feeling anything you do to me, Scrivener. Not with her locked up deep and safe and tight. Hit me again. Make me your servant. Make me yours. Then, I shall free her. I feel you there, tottering on the edge of the abyss, scared and afraid... but come, it's only a single step, and then you can fall forever into my darkness... into my love. Into a place, where I will serve you loyally forever... where I will be anything you desire. Because that is how much I love you. Because that is all that love is; making yourself useful to one-another, a story of a master or mistress and their servant. You are perfect, Scrivener Blooms, with all your pent-up fury, the perfect sociopathic sadomasochist beneath your cynicism and false smiles." "You're the one giving orders here, Nightmare Moon." Scrivener muttered, and he dropped his hoof, trembling in fury before he said quietly: "I'm sorry." "Don't be." Nightmare Moon half-lidded her eyes, leaning forwards, studying him before she smiled softly, whispering: "No, not broken, are you? At least not in the way anyone would think. You're accepting it, aren't you? Accepting your place, accepting who I am, accepting what I must be to you... and that I am more important than Luna. And do not lie, sly Scrivener. You must believe it. You must make me feel it this time... no cunning games. Make me special, and I'll let Luna free. To wallow in despair as she understands that I am more to you than she will ever be. More trusted, more respected, more loved." "You're insane." Scrivener said disgustedly, closing his eyes and lowering his head forwards. "More respected... so I guess Bramblethorn must have thought I was king of the world with all the 'respect' he paid me, huh?" "That is different." Nightmare Moon said coldly, and Scrivener frowned in surprise as he looked up at her sudden change in demeanor. "Do not compare yourself to that pathetic bully, and do not compare these situations. Why do I say respect? Because you will be able to do things with me and to me you could never do with Luna. It is not detriment or derision: it is acknowledgment that I am stronger than Luna. Tougher than Luna. Better than Luna. And the perfect fit to who you truly are." "You just want me to be as ugly as you are. As tortured and twisted as you are." Scrivener said quietly, looking up at her, and Nightmare Moon simply shrugged and smiled lovingly before he closed his eyes and asked softly: "Tell me, Nightmare Moon: what are you going to do when Luna comes back and I lock you away forever?" "You won't. I have confidence that you won't... because you need me, and because without me, Luna is incomplete. Because no matter what, at your core, I know that I am your entire universe." Nightmare Moon said softly, smiling kindly as she leaned forwards, her eyes flashing. "I expect to be punished. I look forwards to it, even. But that, too, only shows the depth of our connection: how deeply I know you. How deeply I can affect you. And how much you long to make me... better." Scrivener was silent, and then he looked slowly up towards the Ambrosia tree, silently surveying the hanging fruit before he said softly: "I have no desire to physically hurt you. That damage will translate to Luna." "I am not going to be foolish enough to allow you to bind me down in your torture machines and leave me waiting and wanting, Scrivener Blooms. This pain will be my gift to Luna." Nightmare Moon said lovingly, and the stallion gritted his teeth before Nightmare Moon simply smiled kindly, half-lidding her eyes. "Go ahead, Scrivener Blooms. You have your hooves. You need nothing more." Scrivener closed his eyes tightly... and five minutes later, he slumped back into the house, heading silently to their bedroom and flopping down as he trembled a little, eyes tightly closed as he buried his face into the pillows. And then he sighed raggedly as Nightmare Moon slipped slowly in through the doorway behind him, saying lovingly: "It doesn't make you weak. I am impressed with how hard you fight, Scrivener... but it is all pointless." The stallion mumbled and rolled over in bed... then he shivered when Nightmare Moon slipped onto the mattress beside him, pulling him back against her and stroking tenderly through his mane as she said lovingly: "I am here. You can tell me anything, Scrivener Blooms. Just as you can do anything you desire to me... just as I will do anything you ask." "Then why won't you bring back Luna? I need... Luna." Scrivener said quietly, bowing his head forwards, and Nightmare Moon shook her head slowly before she nuzzled him comfortingly, and he grimaced, looking silently towards the wall as he muttered: "I don't even know what you are anymore." "I am us." Nightmare Moon answered simply, and then she smiled kindly before kissing the back of his neck, holding him closer back against her body. And what bothered Scrivener most of all was the fact that even if it made his skin crawl, he didn't want to pull away. She did... have an allure, and Nightmare Moon closed her eyes, bowing her head forwards, curling tighter around him as she whispered: "You do see..." "I... I do." Scrivener said quietly, silently reaching up to take one of her hooves as he sighed softly, looking silently ahead as Nightmare Moon seemed almost surprised. "How could I not? It's all true, isn't it? Everything you said... well, not that stuff about relationships, but... the stuff about me. You and Luna, you're both... sides of one thing. Of my soulmate. Of Brynhild. I... I don't know..." He looked down quietly, and then closed his eyes when he felt the winged unicorn squeeze him tightly for a moment before he murmured: "I think sometimes I understand you more than I do Luna, Nightmare Moon. Because we're both monsters. But all the same, it's... Luna who... this family needs, especially right now. You're strong. And you've helped us immensely in the past. And you're a mentor... but this isn't your world. This isn't your Equestria, and this isn't... where you belong right now." Nightmare Moon turned her head away, her eyes closing as she clung tightly to Scrivener, and the stallion only gazed silently ahead, saying softly: "But I've always been curious. Why have you never simply... left Luna's mind and body, and moved into me? I know you could if you wanted to, because of our linked souls, because we're... all one mixed-together mess. Yet it's always Luna you've been inside. It's always Luna who you take over, and control, and manipulate, just to get to me half the time... when you could just stride on in if you wanted to. Why?" "Because I desire to physically exist... and I desire to physically exist with you." Nightmare Moon replied quietly, and then she bowed her head forwards, murmuring: "I am a consciousness formed of passion, who wasted the thousand years she had a physical body locked away on the moon, insane and exiled." Scrivener smiled wryly at this, looking down moodily for a few moments before saying quietly: "Funny. Never really thought about it before, but Luna's only been Luna for... four, five hundred years. You were Nightmare Moon for a thousand, even if you spent all that time locked away in the big white space above." "You're saying I am selfish." Nightmare Moon said softly, and Scrivener simply nodded. The dark entity plainly didn't like this, sitting back slowly before she sighed softly and lowered her head, murmuring: "Perhaps I am, but does that matter? Besides, Scrivener Blooms... it changes nothing. I will not relent from my original deal." Scrivener rolled over, meeting her eyes quietly, and they studied one another before Scrivener said softly: "I don't want to physically harm your body. I'll go down to... to the nightmare world first. And you come... to me. Is that a fair enough negotiation?" "You are calm, quiet, gentle... I believe you're telling the truth. That you're ready." Nightmare Moon smiled strangely at him, a profound tenderness filling her eyes before she nodded slowly, watching as Scrivener shivered once before bowing his head forwards, and she whispered softly: "I love you." Scrivener didn't reply, as he let himself descend into darkness, slowly falling into sleep as he thought of Luna and Nightmare Moon and himself... and what felt like only moments later, he opened his eyes and looked silently around a room of stone, vines twisting like living worms along the walls and ceiling, terrible, grim metal shapes all around him that he did his best to ignore as he headed towards the fountain at the back of the room: a fountain, spilling an endless waterfall of black corruption into a pool of red blood beneath it from the roaring jaws of a Tyrant Wyrm. Scrivener bowed his head forwards, his features half-Wyrm, half-earth pony. His single claw clutched slowly against the stone side of the fountain as he breathed slowly in and out, and then he looked calmly, coldly up and muttered: "I hope I make you regret this with all your heart." "Then you'll have to try hard." Nightmare Moon replied kindly, unsurprised that he had sensed her as she strode slowly between metal gurneys and torture racks, licking her sharp teeth slowly: the only difference between her in reality and her in here was the collar of silver roses around her neck, as she shivered in what seemed like eagerness even as Scrivener slowly reached forwards with hoof and claw, letting corruption from the fountain spill over them both before he splashed it back over his features, scrubbing at them calmly and slowly even as he shuddered, letting the dark poison twist its way into his system, corrupt his thoughts and mind as Nightmare Moon asked lovingly: "When do we begin?" "When I say we do." Scrivener said quietly, closing his eyes and breathing slowly in and out as the eye on the Wyrm side of his face glowed with unholy sapphire light... and then he grinned callously as he turned around, digging his claw against the blood-splattered sawdust coating the floor as he said calmly: "And now we begin." Category:Transcript Category:Story